Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia (Indonesian: Republik Indonesia), is a nation of about 17,500 islands[2] in South East Asia, and the world's largest archipelagic state. With a population of over 200 million, it is the world's fourth most populous country and the most populous Muslim-majority nation. Indonesia is a liberal democracy, with an elected parliament and president. The nation's capital city is Jakarta. The country shares land borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Malaysia and by sea Indonesia neighbours Singapore, The Philippines and Australia.
The Indonesian archipelago, home of the Spice Islands, has been an important trade destination since at least the time of the Srivijaya Kingdom with whom seventh century Chinese sailors traded.[3] Indonesia's history has been influenced by numerous foreign powers that were drawn to the archipelago by its wealth of natural resources; these have included Indians, under whose influence Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms flourished beginning in the early centuries CE, Muslim traders who spread Islam from the thirteenth century,[4] and Europeans who fought for monopolization of the spice trade during the European Age of Exploration. A Dutch colonial presence existed in Indonesia for over three centuries; however, Indonesian independence was declared in 1945, which received official international recognition four years later. Indonesia's post-independence history has been turbulent with elements of separatism and corruption, periods of rapid economic growth and decline, natural disasters, and a democratization process since 1998.
Indonesia is a unitary state consisting of numerous distinct ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups spread across its numerous islands that have not always been united. However, a history of colonialism and rebellion against it,[5] a national language, and a Muslim-majority population have helped to define Indonesia as a state and nation.[6] Indonesia's national motto, "Bhinneka tunggal ika" ("Unity in diversity", derived from Old Javanese), reflects the amalgamation of a myriad cultures, languages, and ethnic groups that shape every aspect of the country.[6] Sectarian tensions and separatism, however, have threatened political stability in some regions, leading to violent confrontations. With its massive population, parts of Indonesia are among the most densely populated in the world,[7] yet despite such pressures, it has vast areas of wilderness that support the world's second highest level of biodiversity.[8] The country is richly endowed with natural resources, yet poverty and immense inequality of wealth are defining features of contemporary Indonesia.
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Environment
Indonesia's 17,508 islands, about 6,000 of which are inhabited,[65] are scattered over both sides of the equator. By land area, the five largest islands are Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo), New Guinea (shared with Papua New Guinea) and Sulawesi (not in that order). Indonesia borders Malaysia on the island of Borneo, Papua New Guinea on the island of New Guinea and East Timor on the island of Timor. The capital, Jakarta, is on Java and is the nation's largest city, followed by Surabaya, Bandung, Medan, and Semarang.
At 1,919,440 km² (741,050 mi²), Indonesia is the world's sixteenth-largest country in terms of land area.[66] Its average population density is 134.39 people per square kilometer, 79th in the world,[67] although Java, the world's most populous island,[7] has a population density of 940 people per km². At 4,884 meters (12,405 feet), Puncak Jaya in Papua is Indonesia's highest peak and Lake Toba in Sumatra its largest lake with an area of 1,145 km² (442 mi²). The country's largest rivers are in Kalimantan and include the Mahakam, and Barito. With their sources in the island's central massif, they meander through swamps to the sea allowing communication and transport between settlements built along their edges.
Indonesia's location on the edges of three tectonic plates—the Pacific, Eurasian, and Australian plates—makes it the site of numerous volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. Indonesia has at least 150 active volcanoes,[69] including Krakatoa and Tambora both famous for their devastating eruptions in the nineteenth century. The eruption of the Toba supervolcano approximately 70,000 years ago was one of the largest eruptions known and a global catastrophe. Recent disasters due to seismic activity include the 2004 tsunami which killed an estimated 167,736 in northern Sumatra[70] and the Yogyakarta earthquake in 2006. Volcanic ash, however, is a major contributor to the high agricultural fertility that has historically sustained the high population densities of Java and Bali.
Equatorial Indonesia has a tropical climate with two distinct monsoonal wet and dry seasons. Average annual rainfall in the lowlands varies from 1,780 to 3,175 millimetres (70 to 125 inches), and up to 6,100 millimetres (240 inches) in mountainous regions. Mountainous areas—particularly in the west coast of Sumatra, West Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Papua—receive the highest rainfall. Humidity is generally high, averaging about 80%. Temperatures vary little over the year; the average daily temperature range of Jakarta is 26° to 30° Celsius (79° to 86° Fahrenheit).
